Paul William Walker IV[1] (September 12, 1973[2] – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He
was best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Paul Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recognition in the 1990s after
appearing in the television soap opera The Young and the Restless; he received praise for his
performances in the teen comedy She's All That and the comedy-drama Varsity Blues (both 1999),
and rose to international fame by starring in The Fast and the Furious (2001).
He also starred in the commercially successful road thriller Joy Ride (2001), becoming an action star.
He followed this with the box-office disappointments Into the Blue (2005) and Running Scared (2006),
although he earned praise for his performance in the survival drama Eight Below and for his portrayal
of Hank Hansen in Flags of Our Fathers (both 2006). Outside of these, Walker largely appeared in
low-budget action films, but starred in the commercially successful heist film Takers (2010).
Walker died in a single-vehicle collision on November 30, 2013, as a passenger in a speeding car. His
father and daughter filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Porsche, which resulted
in settlements. At the time of his death, Walker had not completed filming Furious 7 (2015); it was
released after rewrites and stand-ins, including his brothers Cody and Caleb, both of whom filled in for
Walker, while the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth was commissioned as a
tribute.[3]
Walker was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California.[4] His mother, Cheryl (née Crabtree),
was a fashion model,[5] and his father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former
amateur boxer who was a two-time Golden Gloves champion.[6][7] Walker's paternal grandfather,
William, had a short-lived boxing career as "Irish" Billy Walker, while another raced factory cars
for Ford in the 1960s.[5]
Raised as a the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints member,[6] Walker had four younger
siblings: Aimee, Ashlie, Caleb, and Cody. He spent most of his early life in the Sunland neighborhood
of Los Angeles and graduated from Village Christian School in 1991.[8][9] Walker subsequently
attended several community colleges in Southern California, majoring in marine biology.[10]